


Rebound

by PoisonJack



Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Fluff, General au, Jack being Jack, Jack gets awkward when he gets feels, Jack thinks rhys is a damn catch haha, M/M, Misunderstandings, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rhys is Handsome Jack's Personal Assistant, no coffeemakers were harmed in the making of this story, rhys gets everything he wants out of life haha
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-01
Updated: 2020-02-15
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:34:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22502605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PoisonJack/pseuds/PoisonJack
Summary: Rhys gets dumped, Jack goes on a 'treat Rhys nice' spree out of pure spite, and eventually catches some serious feels himself.
Relationships: Handsome Jack/Rhys (Borderlands), Rhack - Relationship
Comments: 33
Kudos: 399





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> WOOO I've made another dent in that word count! Finally hit over the 1.1million words mark yaaaas! May this year bring much more of the same! hehe :D
> 
> Rating will most-likely increase, knowing me xD We'll see :) Stay tuned!! Next part should be out relatively quickly :D SO. MANY. FEELS.

Jack had stopped reading the report on his desk some time ago, his attention focused on his personal assistant as the younger man somberly frowned to himself. 

Rhys made a little noise Jack wasn’t entirely sure was voluntary, the sound a little too close to a sob instead of a sigh. It had been several _days_ of this, now, slowly escalating to the point that Jack was actively invested in the unhappy looks on his PA’s face. He couldn’t leave it alone any longer.

“Hey. Rhysie. What gives?”

Rhys looked up sharply, a slightly-caught look on his face. “Huh?”

“Don’t ‘huh’ me. You’ve been mopey all day. Don’t think I didn’t notice, buttercup.” Technically not a lie. But Jack didn’t volunteer that he’d noticed _days_ prior. “What’s the matter? You get dumped or something?” he teased with a smirk.

The expression on Rhys’ face went stricken, and Jack frowned. No, that _couldn’t_ actually be it. Rhys was, like, in love with that guy. Never shut up about him or whatever hot dates he had lined up or outings planned. The way the PA doted and bragged to Jack about how well things were going sometimes even made the older man jealous. 

No one put that much effort into dating _him,_ after all. It was usually the other way around, in Jack’s opinion.

Rhys had an anniversary coming up in two days that he’d asked him the day off for, too. Maybe his dinner reservation was cancelled or something. A total bummer, but nothing Jack couldn’t help with if it took that look off the younger man’s face. Being Handsome Jack’s personal assistant had to come with _some_ perks.

“Rhysie, baby, it can’t be _that_ bad. Come on, tell ol’ Jack what’s wrong.”

“That’s exactly it, actually,” Rhys didn’t deny. He knew he’d been feeling pathetic but if _Jack_ noticed then it really said something. “I got dumped. Go ahead and laugh.”

Jack was going to do anything but. “ _What??_ Who’s laughing? That guy dumped _you_?” Who the hell would dump _his_ PA? Jack was offended on his behalf. “After all those cute little lunches and shit you showed me you made for that loser?" 

He’d believe the other way around; Rhys was gorgeous after all. But as far as Jack knew, the younger man had seemed pretty happy with the nameless jerkwad that kicked him to the curb. That Rhys had been moping for _days_ bothered Jack significantly. 

“What a butthead,” Jack stated simply.

Rhys slightly snorted a little at that description of-- well, was he even an ex- _boyfriend_ now? The way he’d been dumped, Rhys got the impression that _he_ was the only one who had thought they were a committed item. “I don’t… I don’t super wanna talk about it…”

“No? You sure, buttercup? I can always put out a hit on him.”

Rhys snorted again, but the smile he gave as he shook his head was watery. “Please don’t do that, Jack. It’s not-- It’s not his fault or anything. I just… misunderstood what we had.”

Jack wrinkled his nose at that, but didn’t comment as it was clear that the younger man was taking it particularly hard. Sounded like the guy was a grade-A jerkwad in Jack’s opinion. He certainly didn’t deserve Rhys. If the younger man was half as good a boyfriend as he was a personal assistant, then the guy was an idiot _and_ a jerkwad.

Rhys busied himself in tidying up his desk a little self-consciously as Jack watched him with a considering frown. “...You _sure_ I can’t have the guy whacked for you, pumpkin? Volunteer him for R&D’s bio-division? Target-practice?”

Rhys snorted and ignored Jack, though a wan smile took his face. 

It was better than tears, at least. 

\--

Two days later, Jack sat at his desk in the early-morning hours with glasses on and a screwdriver in hand. His coffeemaker lay in pieces strewn across the desk before him. And Jack was _super_ wishing for a cup of something strong right now indeed.

He held a curly, spring-looking thing in his hand, squinting at it in scrutiny. He wasn’t sure the machine needed it, and wasn’t _entirely_ certain it belonged to it, anyways. 

Maybe he should’ve cleared his desk from the odds and ends he’d been tinkering with early that morning, but then he’d desperately needed a cup of coffee, and the damn light kept blinking but no caffeine was forthcoming. Which left him with only one option. 

His favorite place in the hub wasn’t even open yet, and even under threat from Handsome Jack himself, it would take so long to get the employees to the store and the roaster going, let alone bring it up to him. Jack could be patient, but he wasn’t _that_ patient.

So… he was fixing the machine.

He lost himself to testing connecting wires to the heating element, pleased that everything seemed to be conducting correctly, and he set it aside into the ‘okay’ pile of stuff he’d checked. The curly-spring sat next to it in the ‘maybe’ pile, and everything else strewn across his desk was being categorized under ‘guess we’ll find out’.

Jack was looking into the dispenser-module when the doors to the office whooshed open. He looked up with startled puzzlement as Rhys strode through, cups of coffee in both hands and bag slung over his shoulder.

The CEO checked the time, and then the date to make sure he wasn’t mistaken, brows knit together in confusion as his PA raised a brow of his own at the mess on Jack’s desk.

“Is that… the coffee maker?” he asked, setting Jack’s own overly-sweetened usual on the desk next to what used to be the start-mechanism. “How long have you been here? Did you even go home last night, Jack?”

“Yes I went home,” Jack said honestly, though it had only been for a few hours before some emergency at one of their Eridium mines had called him back. Some time before he _seriously_ needed a caffeine fix.

The CEO took the cup from the desk with serious gratitude, immediately sipping with a sigh of appreciation. He could feel his headache from annoyance already going away. He turned his attention back to Rhys, the younger man picking up the water-spout from the ‘okay’ pile with a frown. 

Jack met the look the younger man was giving him, shrugging as he put his attention on the piece in Rhys’ hand. “Yeah, I’m fixing it. It wasn’t working, the light was blinking…”

Rhys looked at him with disbelief. “The ‘add-water’ light? Seriously? For the reservoir in the back?” His expression was half-amusement and half pity, but definitely condescending in a way that only made Jack smirk. Rhys knew he knew better. And it was also a judgment on the almost-correct assumption that Jack had slept in the office again.

It was one of the things Jack liked about Rhys-- he wasn’t so scared of him not to poke fun. He _cared_ if Jack was getting proper sleep or not. And the longer Jack looked at him-- with the knowledge that he’d taken the entire coffee maker apart over an _empty reservoir_ \- the bigger that shit-eating grin on the younger man’s face grew.

Jack knew he should’ve just gone back home to sleep for a few hours instead of remaining in the office after the mine was dealt with. He was an engineer, dammit. He’d way over thought the problem. Wasn’t thinking straight at all.

Maybe he got the date wrong, too. 

He took another appreciative sip of his coffee, giving Rhys a once-over. “Didn’t I approve your day off, kiddo?”

Rhys’ smile somewhat wilted, turning a bit awkward. “Uh, yeah…”

“Then what’re ya doing here, cupcake? Don’t get me wrong, I _really_ needed this crap,” he said, gesturing with his cup, “like, really-really. If the mess doesn’t tell ya. So what gives?”

“Um… I only asked for the day off because me and-- and--” Rhys looked away in minor humiliation, though he didn’t bother keeping it to himself. Jack already knew, anyways. “I’d _thought_ I was going to be having a romantic anniversary date today,” Rhys laughed as if it didn’t bother him half as much as it clearly did. “Since that’s clearly not happening, I decided to just come in.”

He looked embarrassed, as if it was anything Rhys himself should take responsibility for. Jack really would like to punch the asshole that had dumped Rhys. Right in the nose. 

“Hey, his loss, my gain, right?” Jack tried for nonchalance; to bring Rhys’ mood up with usual familiarity. Rhys rolled his eyes, though he’d succeeded in making one side of the younger man’s mouth quirk in a smile.

Rhys went to his desk as routine, setting down his coffee and bag as Jack sat at his own. The CEO frowned at the unnecessary mess. He’d taken it apart pretty quickly, but putting it back together…

“What’s on the roster for today, pumpkin?”

Rhys looked up from where he sat, lowering his coffee cup from his mouth and swallowing the sip he’d taken. “Well,” he began after swallowing, pulling up the older man’s schedule. “Not much. There’s an echo-call with the Wildlife Exploitation Preserve down on Pandora… And a few department walk-throughs, weapons testing if you wanted, but that’s really about it.”

“That’s it?” Jack echoed with surprise. “Rhysie, kitten, if the day was gonna be _this_ uneventful, you should’ve just taken it off. Have a spa-day or something.”

Rhys pouted in his direction for the older man’s lack of tact. “It’s _uneventful_ because I thought I wouldn’t be here to _assist_ you,” he said petulantly. “I cleared your schedule so you could just test prototypes, or something else you’d have fun on your own with that needed to be done.” 

Jack’s brows were raised in clear surprise at the thoughtfulness of the younger man, even as Rhys sent him an impressive scowl. Here Rhys had planned to be away celebrating some romantic anniversary, and the PA had still tried to confirm a fun work day for Jack. 

He didn’t have to do that. Hell, he could’ve forced the CEO to finally do all those budget-meetings he knew he hated. Or set up various interviews by those requesting an audience with him. He _hated_ those things. After that little creep in genetics or whatever wanted some grant to _clone_ him… 

Well, the enthusiasm was nice at least. 

“Count on you to be the perfect little PA,” Jack praised with a smirk, “but if I were you, I _still_ would’ve chosen to sleep in. And before you say anything, I _did_ go home last night,” Jack reiterated with an arched brow as he took a big, unapologetic slurp of his coffee. 

Rhys snorted and shook his head. He appreciated Jack’s exaggerated mannerisms. It was normal. Jack being Jack. Distracting from the actual humiliation he felt over thinking his ‘boyfriend’ had been…. Well, his _boyfriend._

At least he’d been dumped _before_ wishing the other man a happy anniversary. That would’ve been a hundred times worse in Rhys’ opinion. “It’s not like I’m going to any of those reservations I made _by myself,_ Jack. That’s just sad. And I’m pretty sure it would be pathetic to ‘be mopey’ at home all day.” Rhys was paraphrasing Jack’s own words from days previous, but the sentiment was the same.

He didn’t want to be alone with the humiliation he still felt.

Jack’s gaze stayed locked on Rhys’ own until the younger man looked away a bit somberly. He’d maybe thought the conversation was over for the most part, but the gears in Jack’s brain began turning as he considered his jilted PA.

He wanted to do something nice for Rhys. To make him feel better about the asshole that dumped him. It was such a disappointment to have had a day of fun lined up only to try to forget it ever existed. Jack wasn’t exactly familiar with the feeling himself, but he thought he could probably relate. He wanted to try to, anyways. To show Rhys that he was still a hot little _leggy_ commodity; that Jack appreciated him _and_ the things he did for him. 

He had a couple ideas about how he could go about that. 

And hell, maybe Rhys would enjoy spending some time with him, too, outside the sometimes _interesting_ parameters of the job of being Jack’s right hand man.

“Hey kitten,” Jack spoke before he could stop himself, a smile on his face as his gaze met Rhys’ own. “How about you still have that romantic little day you planned out, hm?”

Rhys’ brows raised into his hair with bewilderment before furrowing with a pout. “I didn't want to spend the day alone,” he repeated previous words. His voice took on a bit of a sour note, not bothering to hide his mood at the perceived slight. “Am I _bugging_ you or something, Jack?”

Jack’s smile turned to a smirk. Whether he was actually mopey or not, Rhys’ sass was still intact. “Damn baby, that asshole did a number on you, huh?” Rhys’ pout deepened into a full-blown frown, but Jack’s smirk turned toothy. “I _meant_ , if there’s nothing important to do today otherwise, let’s just screw around.” The look Rhys leveled at him _now_ made the older man roll his eyes. “Not like _that._ Geez you’re sensitive today.”

“You’re not funny.”

This was already blowing up in his face before he even got started.

Luckily, Jack knew Rhys’ weakness well-enough: “I have one echo call, and crap that frankly I’d rather save for the next time you try to make me go to a budget meeting,” Jack began quickly, “so why don’t we go get ice cream at that place you’re always telling me about or something instead? Eat out somewhere fancy for lunch, huh?” he proposed. “What other neat shit did you have planned today, pumpkin? You don’t wanna go it alone, _I get it_ -” Jack said pointedly, “-but there’s no reason to miss out on _fun_ because of some dick-bag, right?”

Rhys looked at him with open disbelief. “Really? Are you serious?”

Something about the tone of the younger man’s voice made the CEO feel warm under the biosynthetic skin that was his mask. Jack just grinned what he knew was a charming smile, ignoring the heat in his cheeks at the plaintive look on Rhys’ face. “I sure am, buttercup. Consider it a celebration of dodging a bullet, huh? At least you didn’t waste anymore time with that jerk.” Rhys’ lips twitched at the beginning of what might be a smile. “What’s the first thing you wanna do, huh? ...I can still set it up to have this guy dodge _actual_ bullets, ya know.”

Rhys snorted but shook his head at the suggestion, trying to hold back the smile that wanted to break on his reddening face. 

Jack wanted to dedicate a day to _him,_ huh? That would be nice. The older man liked getting his way and always being in charge, but Rhys got the sense he _genuinely_ wanted to do something nice for him. 

He might’ve rejected the offer if he thought Jack was doing it out of pity alone, but then he was pretty sure the older man didn’t know what pity was. Jack probably just wanted a reason to further screw around all day and not work, but he sure didn’t need to include Rhys if that was his real goal… even _if_ Rhys had thought he was trying to make him go home at first.

That was pretty damn thoughtful where his boss was considered. Jack generally only knew big gestures, but the offer to do _his_ day with him, like he’d planned before being dumped...

Well hell, Rhys _had_ had a nice couple of things set up before all his feelings were crushed. He’d felt too humiliated over the situation to have even cancelled his reservations and appointments, but he was also slightly depressed over missing out on them. He’d been looking forward to it. The restaurant reservation alone had taken him a month to secure, even with dropping Jack’s name. 

It didn’t matter now, though, since Jack himself would be with him. The level of service was certainly going to be better than if he’d been with his not-boyfriend, that was for damn sure.

“Well… the ice cream shop _was_ actually one of the stops in my plans,” Rhys admitted through the smiling blush on his face. He wasn’t sure yet if he wanted to let his hopes get too high, but it might be fun doing most of the same planned activities with Jack. It was better than going alone, at least. They’d probably get better service throughout the day, too. 

Jack hopped up from his desk, abandoning the mess that had once been his coffee maker to come and stand before Rhys with a grin. “Cool! Great! Let’s do that then!”

Rhys gave him a look with a sort of lopsided smile. He angled his view around Jack, leaning to pointedly look at the older man’s desk. “What about the coffee maker?”

“Order another one, kiddo. Something fancy and _real_ obvious about where the water is supposed to go. Hell, get an automated one and have the plumbers hook it while we’re gone. Never run out of water again! Ha!”

Rhys snorted at the idea, but he already knew the one he wanted to replace it with. Out with the old, in with the new. The old one had worked fine, but it was outdated and more than ready for a replacement. He counted it lucky that Jack had happened to the coffee maker. Jack could fix it if he put the time in, but it was easier (and more fun) to just buy another.

Little did Rhys know that his life was about to get the coffee maker experience in sum-total.

Both the good, and the bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm pretty sure this will just be two chapters, but it might get to 3 (we know how i am, ahaha!) And before anyone gets concerned, no, Jack is not going to dismember Rhys across his desk like a crappy coffee maker BAHAH xD 
> 
> [my tumblr](http://purge-that-urge-rhackathon.tumblr.com/) | [my fic masterlist archive](http://purge-that-urge-rhackathon.tumblr.com/post/134979026515/a-ao3-fic-archive) | [my twitter](https://twitter.com/PurgeThatUrge)
> 
> Please leave kudos and a comment if you enjoyed! ao3 FAQ: [Can I post comments anonymously, or if I don't have an Archive account? ](https://archiveofourown.org/faq/comments-and-kudos?language_id=en#anoncomment)


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I went through a very rough patch but I'm dealing much better now. Sorry for the delay!
> 
> Yes that's a bento (cuz Rhys is cute as hell and I lived in japan for four longass years LOLOL). 
> 
> Rhys has been single for one slutty, slutty month (jack wishes it was slutty haha), and Jack is finally going to take his chance and snatch him up before its too late ;) ENTER THE FEELS

The _not_ -anniversary day that Rhys had had with Jack was more fun than he might’ve expected given the situation, and it was only the first in a long line of _many_ outings the older man found excuses to do with Rhys.

At first Rhys just rolled with it. 

His office chair got a serious upgrade not shortly after, and Jack seemed pleased as hell by Rhys’ own excitement over the plush model. It wasn’t as big or gaudy as Jack’s own big yellow chair, but it had built-in massagers and heating elements that Rhys could control through his echoeye. 

Rhys liked it so much he stopped eating lunch outside the office, instead ordering in for the both of them just to remain in the chair. It helped, too, to keep him distracted from the cute, homemade lunches he’d previously enjoyed making, but stopped doing since being dumped. 

Jack’s animated personality certainly helped a lot to that end as well, but then that might’ve been a result of all the gourmet coffee the pair were having now.

The new coffee maker Jack had had installed was another welcome distraction and reason to happily remain in the office. It came accompanied with all the syrups, sweeteners, and other things they both enjoyed from that cafe in the Hub, and Rhys was a _little_ concerned about his waistline now with the convenience of what essentially amounted to a personal barista in himself. He was getting good at making their personal favorites.

Jack even ordered in all the gourmet flavors that Rhys personally adored, and gifted him the stuff in same quantities to take home (which was… a _lot_ in Rhys’ personal opinion, but he sure as hell wasn’t going to say no to his favorites). 

...Though Rhys suspected that the older man just wanted him to get good at perfecting their own mugs, Jack brushed that off with assertions that _because_ he was Jack’s PA, he needed to be drinking the _fancy_ stuff. Even at home. Enjoy the finer things because men like them _deserved_ it.

The assorted candy that had also arrived with the coffee must’ve been a bonus from the coffee shop for nearly purchasing their whole catalogue, or so Rhys assumed. It was very lucky he happened to _love_ toffee as well, though he usually just got it in his ice cream.

The new rakk-hide boots Jack had gotten delivered to him were because of the big meeting with Maliwan over Eridium contracts next week; he wanted them both to look good. That just made sense. And it just so happened to be the ones Rhys had pointed out once as they were leaving a fancy lunch together. Jack had cheekily asked if Rhys thought he had the legs for it, to which Rhys had confidently replied, “Don’t act like you think otherwise.”

Jack had laughed and so did Rhys, and the boots showed up not a week later.

The first time flowers were on Rhys’ desk when he came into the office one morning, he thought-- for a split second of _surprising_ unwelcomeness- that it was from his ex. The shit-eating grin on Jack’s face, however, prompted him to questions; Jack was clearly in the office before him. He would know who’d delivered them.

“Uh… What’s the story with these?” Rhys asked as he looked for a card or something. The way his heart beat, he realized he was _hoping_ they weren’t from his ex. That was… pleasantly surprising in itself.

“Nice, right?” Jack said from where he was getting up from his own desk. “...What’re you looking for, pumpkin?”

“A card or something?” Rhys said as if he himself was unsure. He looked at Jack, seeing the grin on the older man’s face somewhat falter.

“Shit, should there have been a card?”

Rhys looked up from where he was smelling a flower he’d never seen before; something with pink and purple stripes. The arrangement was gorgeous but he could only name maybe half of the flowers in it. “Who are these from? Are they from you?” Jack shot him some finger guns, and Rhys couldn’t help the pleasantly-surprised smirk that broke over his face at the grin on Jack’s own. The man was definitely pleased with himself. “Is it Secretary’s Day or something?”

Jack snorted. “Hell if I know. You’re not a secretary, anyways, buttercup.”

“Kind of a secretary,” Rhys argued with that smirk still on his face, checking the date on his echoeye. It was most assuredly _not_ Secretary’s Day. His heart sped up a bit as this was probably one of the most thoughtful surprises Jack had ever set up. “What’s the occasion, Jack?”

“Bioscience grew them. Spliced with Borok-DNA or something. I don’t know,” Jack gestured uncaringly with his hand, “they get something science-y from it that we patent and make buttloads of money from. But they’re nice looking, right?”

Rhys felt his brow furrow as he stood up straight to get a little distance from the flowers. “...Are they safe?” He didn’t trust R&D, though he didn’t think Jack would expose _both_ of them to something potentially lethal in his office. Not on purpose, anyway. 

The CEO rolled his eyes. “Of course they’re safe.” Rhys snorted as if he didn’t believe him, but he did return to his closer enjoyment of the arrangement, anyways, to Jack’s satisfaction. “...like ‘em?”

“Yeah, actually.” He offered the older man a smile as Jack muttered a ‘good’, taking one of the flower petals between his fingers as if pleased they’d done their job. Rhys gave a slight glance to Jack’s desk before looking back at the older man. “Did you have your coffee yet?”

Jack hadn’t actually. He _could_ make his own, but he couldn’t get the flavor down the way Rhys did. _Or_ he just liked the way the younger man made it way better than his own. 

“Nothing that counts,” Jack groused. “I’m convinced you have a secret ingredient I don’t know about. Or there’s a setting on the machine to make it taste so good.”

“Oh please, that’s just because it’s made with love,” Rhys said with a playful wink and a grin that made Jack’s mouth go instantly dry. He was saved from looking like a moron when Rhys lightly laughed. “Aaaaand I’ve been using that leftover whipped cream in the mini-fridge from the sundaes. It makes it taste lighter, if that makes sense...”

Jack wasn't sure if it did, but it certainly didn’t matter. The older man covered the flush of pleasure he could feel creeping up his neck by cracking a grin and a dirty joke. “You saying you’ve been personally creaming my coffee, cupcake? _Every_ morning? That’s some dedication, baby.” The most delightful color entered Rhys’ cheeks at the clear innuendo, though for Jack, that was fairly tame. 

The PA snorted and tried to bite back an amused smirk in favor of looking cross. Even if the frown on his face wasn’t convincing at all, his tone easily gave away his mirth. “ _Gross_ , Jack. I wouldn’t do that to your coffee. You’re not _that_ hard to work for.”

“Oh, I can _show_ you _hard_ to work for, princess.”

Rhys snorted again and left the older man with a grin he could no longer contain, taking Jack’s own mug to make both their drinks. When he came back, Jack was sitting at his desk idly working on something, big hands typing away as Rhys stood there a minute. “Did you eat today, Jack?”

“Nah. Just make me another one of these and order something big for lunch. Something with fries,” he replied, slurping a healthy gulp of the mug Rhys had brought him. He watched as the younger man just smirked at him and then returned to his desk. 

Jack turned back to the contract proposal he was editing for Hyperion’s benefit, completely immersed in an added clause about ownership of patents on mutated-DNA, when Rhys set something on the desk next to him.

Jack looked up from what he was doing, a puzzled look at a sealed, square container with smooth edges. He looked at Rhys with a thinking frown. “What’s that?”

“Breakfast,” Rhys stated. As the expression on the older man’s face changed, so did Rhys’; a smile breaking over his lips. “You get…uh, _cranky_ if you haven’t eaten.”

“...Why do I get the feeling you were gonna say something else there, Rhysie?” Jack teased even as his heart sped up considerably. Rhys laughed under his breath but didn’t deny it as he went back to his desk, and Jack greedily grabbed the container while the younger man’s back was turned. He was excited, but had to consciously keep it out of his voice. “Thanks, pumpkin.”

“Save that for if you actually like what’s in there, first,” Rhys brushed off with a little smile. He went about his business as per usual at his own desk, giving the flowers there an appreciative, unguarded look of genuine mirth before he began his daily tasks. 

Jack watched him slyly, both wanting to rip the lid off the container with as much excitement as he felt, and also wanting to remain cool and collected. He did neither, popping the lid open with appropriate fluttering in his belly over what the younger man had brought him.

It wasn’t exactly like the cute lunches Rhys had shown him, but it was definitely the younger man’s own skills at work. 

Instead of artfully arranged fruit or sandwich items, a lineup of breakfast stuff in their own separate compartments filled the space of the container. There was some kind of flat sausage meat in the shapes of stars, a mini muffin with red fruit in it, and some kind of omelette with bacon cut into bite-sized strips. The container was still warm as well, and Jack had to actually tell himself to _calm down_ even as a thrill shot through him.

No one had ever made him a breakfast like this. Lunch or dinner, either. No one really had that kind of foresight. Rhys had brought him muffins from the coffee shop, or a bagel or something more than once, but this was _different._ It was _personal;_ Rhys had been thinking about him. At least enough to warrant _bringing him a homemade breakfast._

And Jack just didn’t think Rhys would go to the trouble of making breakfast sausage in _star_ shapes for his own meal if it had just been this morning’s leftovers or something; Rhys had put more than casual effort into it. It was _special._

And it was just for Jack.

Jack thought with a sinking feeling of how the morning might have gone otherwise-- if he’d actually done the _responsible_ thing and ate something before dragging himself to the office and gulping coffee like his life depended on it. 

Rhys would have brought his coffee, asked if he’d eaten, and Jack would’ve said _yes._ Would’ve driven the point home, too, since he often skipped eating in the morning and Rhys was always commenting on that fact. Like it or not, Jack knew he was indeed a grump when he skipped breakfast. 

Jack would’ve been so _adamant_ about being a fully-functioning CEO of a company who eats proper meals; that Rhys was wrong _this time_ , and no Jack wasn’t lying, and yes he’d eaten something. 

There was no way Rhys would have offered him the homemade breakfast if he’d said _any_ of that. 

He thanked his own carelessness for coming through for him, and wondered if he should skip breakfast altogether if it meant more of _this_. He could get used to Rhys’ little homemade breakfasts. If it tasted half as good as the coffee Rhys made for him, he’d love it.

Jack wanted to save the little meal in its little box as if to preserve a moment of truth-- like it was proof of something- as much as he wanted to scarf it down. Yeah, he’d taken his fair share of body shots off some hot thing he was fucking, but this was so much more intimate in his opinion. 

Rhys had been thinking about him on his own time, and Rhys _cared_ ; he cared in a way that was much more personal than some bagel bought at a shop.

Jack’s mind went a mile a minute as he snuck glances at Rhys, forcing himself to eat _casually,_ as if there were even such a thing. The food was _good_ , the care taken in making it at _least_ as good as the presentation itself. He wanted to praise the hell out of the younger man but wasn’t sure he could control the thrill still running through him over even being brought something, let alone not completely scare him off in the other direction with the sheer amount of his enthusiasm.

Rhys sat at his desk covered in bio-engineered flowers, completely oblivious to the intense speculation Jack was giving him. The CEO watched as Rhys diligently went about his own work replying to department memos and deciding who was worthy of Jack’s time, and who would have their meetings granted. He was blissfully unaware of the inner chaos Jack was dealing with in trying to keep himself from walking right over to Rhys’ desk and proposing either a blowjob or marriage.

He wanted the younger man right then; wanted him to be _his_. Officially.

It would be a full month very soon since Rhys had been dumped-- No, actually, one month since _Jack_ had told Rhys he’d still be having his day of _not_ -anniversary fun. A month since Jack had said he’d spend the day going to all the reservations and appointments the younger man had made to initially be enjoyed with his _ex._

Jack decided there was no harm in privately enjoying the idea that _their_ one-month anniversary would be coming up soon; one month since Jack had wanted to do something nice for the younger man _because_ of the shitty ex. _Some_ thing became lunches, treats, and unexpected little presents that delighted the younger man, and he just hadn’t stopped wanting to pamper Rhys to see those unguarded, _genuine_ smiles when he was super happy. 

If Jack’s aim had been to make Rhys forget about the ex, he considered that he’d done a pretty damn good job at it. He could definitely keep this up for the rest of their lives. 

It wasn’t like that same day Rhys had been dumped now _belonged_ to Rhys’ ex-boyfriend anymore or anything, and yeah, Rhys maybe wasn’t _Jack’s_ boyfriend-- not yet, anyway- but surely a whole month was enough to get over the creep. 

Rhys was gorgeous, intelligent, and a smartass with a tight ass. Jack saw the lingering way that different department heads looked at the younger man. Rhys wasn’t actively seeking out anyone new to Jack’s knowledge-- which was good, because he was _Jack’s_ as far as the CEO was concerned- but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t be approached. 

Even _if_ he was seen with Jack in public.

Jack had known Rhys for a while now. He’d gone from starstruck little fanboy into someone Jack could actually count on. Someone who _knew_ him in ways everyone else didn’t. Someone who _cared_ about Jack despite himself. 

Jack didn’t sugarcoat the truth from himself: He was a CEO, and being kind of an asshole just came with the territory, but Rhys gave it all right back when he should, and the younger man wasn’t afraid to argue with Jack. Not a lot of people Jack could say that about. 

Not ones who did it and _lived,_ anyways. 

Furthermore, he just _liked_ Rhys, and he couldn’t say _that_ about very many people either. He liked him. He wanted him. He wanted his care and his undivided attention, and maybe those long legs wrapped around his waist, and those flesh and cybernetic arms wrapped around his shoulders while he pressed his face into his neck and maybe bit him a little. 

...He’d have to ease into all _that_ , and he had an idea of how to catch the younger man’s interest before he sealed the deal.

What they’d been doing _technically_ counted as dates in Jack’s mind. And an entire month of officially dating the younger man? Yeah, that was plenty cause for celebration of some kind. The one-month anniversary. The last ‘small’ one. That meant presents. And Jack was good at presents.

The rest of the day passed fairly usually, though Jack kept anxiously twitching his foot under his desk as he ignored anything at all work related in favor of making _plans_.

Rhys wished Jack a good weekend as Jack grinned and cheekily wished him the same. 

Jack was so pleased with himself, and continued his plans to give Rhys the best anniversary ever with hopeful glee.

\--

Rhys called up early the next day, the younger man’s comm number showing up on Jack’s personal line as the CEO’s heart skipped a beat.

Jack smirked and leaned back in his chair at his home office. He was expecting some coy conversation which he would follow with an invite out to dinner to the younger man, whereafter Jack hoped to get laid and propose-- not necessarily in that order- if he’d succeeded in charming the pants off Rhys. 

Any number of his gifts could have arrived already, but the way Jack had attempted to time it, Rhys should be getting the flower delivery of a lifetime right about now. And this time, Jack _did_ include a card. Hell, depending on how well this went, Jack might be proposing well before he even got the younger man to dinner.

There was a smile in his voice as he spoke into the comm, trying to imagine the look on Rhys’ face. 

His potential-fiancé’s voice, however, was anything but _pleased_ , interrupting Jack’s greeting to demand immediate answer.

“ _Why in the hell did you send me_ Eden lilies, _Jack_?”

The older man frowned to himself. That tone was.... entirely unexpected. “Didn’t you say you liked Eden lilies, Rhysie? I specifically remember you said something about Eden lilies.”

The confused frown Rhys wore was definitely heard in his tone as the PA ignored the intimacy that intention revealed, focusing on his aggravation instead as he spoke into the comm. “I said I’m _allergic_ to Eden lilies.”

Well. Shit. That-- _No,_ Rhys wouldn’t get _his own allergy_ wrong. 

Which meant _Jack_ was wrong. 

Fuck. 

He’d screwed that up. He supposed he should’ve paid better attention on that one. Rhys sounded understandably mad, but it was more _annoyed_ than outright angry. Hopefully that was a good sign that it wasn’t a _severe_ allergy. 

Jack really was off to a horrible start. Time to jump ahead in his plans.

“Well how about this, buttercup?” Jack began quickly but calmly, proud that the desperation he felt was absent in his voice, “You and me, nice dinner out while I get someone to clean that shit out of your apartment. All the pollen or whatever does it. I’m talking full-scale _deep_ cleaning, baby.”

Rhys was silent a moment, and Jack found himself annoyed that the younger man wasn’t there with him to gauge what look might be on his face. Maybe he was too irritated for Jack’s innuendos and puns. He tried another route.

“I thought we could go to the fanciest restaurant in the Hub-- the one that looks right down on Elpis,” Jack proposed as he tapped his foot under his desk. Rhys was still silent, and he shoved a minor panic down that his plans were unraveling before he could make good on them. “...You can order whatever you want,” he blurted, feeling stupid as soon as he’d said it. 

_Obviously_ Rhys could order whatever he wanted. He was pretty sure the PA understood that _very_ well after all the places Jack had been taking him out to lately, not to mention the gifts. 

His desperation was showing, and he was a little disgusted with himself over the realization of how much he _didn’t_ care so long as he hadn’t just totally fucked up his own chances. The idea of consoling himself over how hot he _knew_ he was wasn’t even appealing, and that alone revealed just how much he _really_ actually wanted the other man. 

He heard Rhys sigh on the other end of the comm. 

“...I’m already covered in hives, Jack,” Rhys reported with annoyed resignation. “I told the delivery guy to take them all back.”

Crap. Crap crap _crap._

“Shit, kitten, I’m--”

“One second,” Rhys interrupted, his attention clearly taken away. “Someone’s at the door.”

Jack swallowed the apology he was about to give, hoping this would be one of his big, more-romantic gestures arriving with perfect timing to save his ass.

Of course, one of his _less_ -savory gifts had to arrive instead.

“Jack…” Rhys’ voice came back with uncertainty, not sure if he was playing a prank on him or not. “Um… did you send me _lingerie_?”

“Uuuuuh….” He dragged out the sound, heart pounding and trying to ascertain if Rhys _liked_ that or not. 

“... _what in the…?_ ” Rhys muttered to himself under his breath as Jack could hear further voices-- more of his gifts arriving, and not necessarily _good_ by the sound of it. “I, I think you have the wrong place…”

Rhys wasn’t speaking to _him_ , and Jack was running through the mental list of just what he’d ordered to the younger man’s apartment, having trouble remembering _everything_ , and wondering what was garnering that response.

It wasn’t hard for Jack to hack into the security feed on the level where Rhys lived, eager and impatient to know just what the hell made him say that. 

And he pulled a face when the hallway feed showed _exactly_ what was on Rhys’ threshold:

It just _had_ to be the statue of himself. Of _course_ it was. Jack couldn’t catch a break this morning.

It wasn’t a _bad_ gift in Jack’s opinion. Rhys was a mad fanboy for him when he was chosen as Jack’s new personal assistant, so the older man had simply surmised that the lifesize, bronze statue of himself in a rather heroic pose with a perfectly-polished ass might have been the _perfect_ gift to get the younger man.

Then again, he’d continued buying and ordering things for Rhys right up until he’d gone to bed, and _that_ decision might have also been the result of a very-expensive glass of whiskey.

Count on a statue of him to be on-hand and more-ready than the customized chocolates or Eden-imported wine selection he’d expected to get to the younger man well-before lunchtime. Maybe this was one step just above creepy-- Jack was still his _boss_ even if the older man wanted so much more. 

Maybe it had been too bold of a statement to assume Rhys would want something like that.

He watched the security feed as Rhys tentatively reached out and touched the polished metal. A smirk that Jack could just see on the monitor and hear in the younger man’s voice was on Rhys’ face. “Jack… Did you send me a _statue_ of yourself, too?”

The Rhys on the security feed was signing the receipt with a sort of grin as far as Jack could tell, the younger man’s voice full of amused disbelief. He itched his flesh-arm in the T-shirt he was wearing before gesturing where to have the statue placed within, then disappeared from the hallway security feed into the apartment’s open door.

Jack groaned to himself over the comm as he could see yet another delivery inbound for the younger man’s apartment; one of the jewelers themselves hand-delivering the expensive, sparkly platinum necklace with the big Hyperion-yellow topaz on the end of it, as well as H-shaped cufflinks inlaid with yellow diamonds.

Rhys didn’t know what was inbound for him, and he lightly laughed in response to Jack’s groan. “Look, I know I might have been, uh, kind of _creepy_ when you first hired me,” Rhys admitted with a chuckle, “and I’m _not_ saying I don’t want it,” Rhys quickly added, and Jack wished he could see his face for the amused tone of his voice, “but just what am I supposed to do with this, Jack? It’s like… It’s life size. You-sized.”

Jack felt dumb over the gift, his first impulse to say ‘coat-rack’, but he was still vain enough not to suggest _that._ Honestly, the impression that Rhys had always given him when he’d first started working for him was that _anything_ with Jack’s face on it was a good gift just _because_. Whatever Rhys did beyond having some secret shrine to him or whatever, he hadn’t given too much thought to. “Um… _Enjoy_ it?”

The snort Rhys gave was sharp and a bit more amused than entirely expected. 

But then, Jack realized Rhys thought he was making a dirty joke again. The richness of his laughter said as much. “I might’ve been creepy, Jack, but I’m not an _entire_ weirdo.”

It was Jack’s turn to snort in amusement and a sarcastic “ _yeah, right_ ” that made Rhys laugh.

Maybe things were turning around. 

“This thing is going to have to pay rent. Seriously.” 

Jack could hear that Rhys’ attention was taken away again as the jeweler had made it to his doorway. They patiently stood just outside his apartment, and Rhys appeared a moment later. The CEO could hear the jeweler do their whole speech about special deliveries and the special customizations and whatever else from Rhys’ own comm, and Rhys himself was silent as Jack listened with concern. 

It was a _different_ kind of silence, he thought. Not that he was an expert on silences. Not ones _not_ -fraught from mortal fear, anyways.

Rhys sent the statue-delivery-men and the jeweler politely on their way, closing his apartment and disappearing from the security monitors. No other deliveries were there just yet. It was a welcome reprieve, though Jack couldn’t see Rhys anymore, of course.

Rhys was looking through things as soon as the door had closed, if the sound of soft tissue papers and jewelry-box lids were anything to go by. His soft inhalation wasn’t enough for Jack to know if he’d opened the lingerie first, or the jewelry he’d sent.

“Jack…” Rhys began softly, voice earnest in a confused sort of way. “These are… _Way too expensive_ , uh…. Why did you send me all this?”

Since he couldn’t just come out and say ‘ _because I think I’m halfway in love with that tight ass of yours and the way you make my coffee’_ , he just shrugged and went for casual: “Geez, a guy can’t just be nice?” he deflected.

Rhys snorted. “Your life-size statue is in my living room, Jack.”

“...You need a bigger apartment, baby?”

Rhys’ silence on the other end gave Jack concern, worried that too much of his very-real offer came through in his tone. 

_Usually_ the people he dated _enjoyed_ being pampered and buried in all the finer aspects of luxury. And yeah, he could admit to himself that they weren’t officially dating, but that should hardly matter. While he knew Rhys enjoyed nice things, _this_ reaction was completely unexpected. 

Jack felt that same panic from before run a course through him. He pressed his invitation out again, blanking on anything else he could possibly. “Have dinner with me, Rhysie. Whaddya say?”

Rhys was silent for several moments. Jack could hear him scratch his neck with his fingers near the comm. Tissue paper crinkled as the moment seemed to last a lifetime. 

What in the hell was there to deliberate about? Were the gifts he’d gotten so far not enough? 

The longer the pause went on, the faster Jack shook his foot beneath his desk, opening up a spare window on the echonet to try and find something he could send the younger man that would _fix_ things decidedly in his favor. 

Rhys spoke up just before Jack could have a total breakdown. 

“...What time?”

The grin those words got could’ve split Jack’s face he was smiling so hard, and he quickly relayed the information, made some dumb joke that got a little chuckle from the younger man, and laid it on _real_ smooth when Rhys ultimately thanked him for the gifts, and said that _no_ , he would _not_ be wearing the lingerie to dinner.

Rhys didn’t call him-- annoyed or otherwise- as the remainder of the gifts were delivered throughout the day, and Jack was as antsy as he was excited by the time he headed to the restaurant to wait for Rhys’ arrival. He paced a little, the restaurant all to themselves without distractions, waiting to meet the younger man properly.

Jack was _certain_ Rhys would show, but he couldn’t stop the thrill of anticipatory relief that went through him when he cast his eyes on the younger man being escorted into the private room by the host, who then made themself scarce.

At first Jack was confused by what he was seeing, but as Rhys got closer, he felt like an asshole. 

“I already took allergy medicine,” Rhys informed before Jack could ask any questions, looking away somewhat self-consciously. “They’ll go away eventually but I’m gonna be ugly for a while,” he reported blandly, giving the older man a sort of chastising-yet-forgiving glance. “Eden lilies do that to me.”

Rhys was covered in hives from what Jack could tell. The red welts on his neck disappeared below the collar of his dress-shirt, and peeked out again where his flesh-hand appeared from inside his shirt cuff. Rhys’ face was slightly red as well, but it was hard to tell if that was an effect of the allergic reaction, or a result of Jack’s slack-jawed scrutiny. Either way, he didn’t exactly look comfortable, and Jack was fully comprehending the gravity of his careless mistake.

To his credit, Jack looked properly chagrined. 

Off to a _great_ start. 

“Shit, Rhysie, that looks… I’ll make it up to you. Get R&D to make some super-steroid or somethin’...” 

“It’s fine, Jack,” Rhys said with a minor smile, appreciating the idea, but _not_ the part about R&D. Just because they made some gorgeous flowers that _still_ hadn’t wilted didn’t mean they earned his trust. “The itching doesn’t last that long, but the rash, uh… You might want someone else at your press-meeting next week. It usually lasts a while.”

Jack snatched up Rhys’ hand and gave him a plaintive look. “I don’t care what you look like.”

Rhys snorted, cheeks heating. “Geez, thanks Jack.”

Jack ignored the clear joke, rubbing his thumb over the back of Rhys’ palm and consciously aware that Rhys was _allowing_ it. “I’ll get the whole place deep-cleaned, okay pumpkin? Everything in it.” One side of Rhys’ mouth turned up in a smile, and Jack’s brain went a mile a minute with the logistics of such a thing, and also how he might _still_ be able to turn things back in his favor. “Shit, uh, you can stay with me while that happens,” he offered a bit more casually, waggling his eyebrows, hoping that the weak joke-- coupled with an appeal to Rhys’ inner fanboy- would salvage his mistake.

“I already did what I needed to in terms of cleaning, but I’m sure the service that showed up will fix anything I missed,” Rhys conceded, letting Jack pull him to their table. The pink glow of Elpis reflected off Rhys’ skin, and while he was already flushed in spots, Jack thought the moon’s glow only made the younger man look more ethereal.

They’d barely sat down when Rhys tore his own eyes away from the view, settling back on Jack. There was question in his eyes, and he spoke before Jack could think to fill the moment with literally anything else. 

“Now don’t get me wrong,” Rhys said before they even had a chance to pick up their menus, watching the older man sitting close just across from him, “but what’s the meaning of all the stuff you sent me, Jack?” Jack opened his mouth, but Rhys quickly spoke over him. “And I don’t believe for a second you were just being _nice_.”

Jack smirked. “Did you like it?” he asked instead, foot tapping beneath the table as they looked at one another. A cocky grin was on his face-- like he knew the answer already- but he honestly wanted to hear Rhys’ opinion. 

His other gifts had been… Also interesting and expensive, but apparently nothing so shocking or unwanted to warrant another call. He assumed Rhys liked it all, but having confirmation was best.

“Well, yeah,” Rhys admitted with an awkward smile, “but I can’t _keep_ all that, Jack,” he stated with a small huff of appreciative laughter. “Not without knowing what it’s for, anyways,” he added with a sort of gauging look. His smile dimmed a little into something a bit more earnest, eyes somewhat raking over the older man while waiting patiently for some sort of answer that would make everything clear.

Jack counted what small mercies were being afforded to him after the gaffs of the morning; Rhys was ever the fanboy if Jack was reading that look correctly. And he _wasn’t_ put off by the idea that Jack might’ve been trying to buy his way into his bed. 

Not that that had been Jack’s initial intention, but the fact that it was laid bare on the table before them got Jack’s blood flowing that much faster.

“You think I’m paying you for sex?” Jack stated bluntly with a sort of smiling frown; like he was amused but also not _entirely_ above doing such a thing if he thought it might work. 

Rhys’ face went red, but not for _that_ assumption. “What? No. I mean, I considered that might be--” he freely admitted without shame, eyes moving about rapidly as if to keep up with his thoughts, “but, well, I mean…You flirt with everyone Jack but I’m just-- Don’t laugh at me,” he warned pointedly, meeting Jack’s gaze solidly and not continuing until he knew he had his promise. “It’s been about a month since I was dumped. Uh, one-month _exactly_ , I mean. And I couldn’t really help it, I kind of thought-- I mean, I assumed…” His face grew hotter and he couldn’t keep Jack’s gaze admitting this much, even as the older man began to grin; like he knew what Rhys was getting at already. “I’ve been in this situation before, but I thought that, maybe, this was…” Jack’s grin grew. “...um, _intentional_ , I guess I wanna say…?” 

He trailed off as he met Jack’s eyes again, the older man looking at him as if waiting for Rhys to understand. 

Jack leaned back with a grin and a flair of his hand in a sort of ‘and here we are’ gesture. “Happy anniversary, baby.”

Rhys sat up straight at that, a little alarmed like Jack might be making fun, but cautiously hopeful that the older man wouldn’t be so cruel. “...Are you making a joke?”

“What? No!” Jack said emphatically, leaning closer over the table and reaching his hand out to touch Rhys’ upper arm. The younger man’s hands were in his lap, and he looked at Jack’s own hand reaching out before meeting the CEO’s eyes. The intensity there was mirrored back. “It’s not a joke. Shit, tell me what you want, Rhysie. I know I kind of screwed up with those flowers big-time,” he said as he looked at a red welt on Rhys’ throat disappearing into his collar, “but you _know_ I can get you _whatever_ you want. Just tell me and I’ll make up for it. Price doesn’t matter.”

Rhys stared at him with quite-clear shock and disbelief; not just over the offer of how Jack thought he could ‘make things right’, but the fact that Jack had had the idea that they were worth celebrating; that the past month had _meant_ something to him.

He’d hoped, of course. But Jack _did_ flirt with everyone and everything. And it wasn’t like he hadn’t treated Rhys to nice things before. All this, though…. “What are you celebrating, Jack?”

“What the hell kind of question is that?” Jack asked incredulously, tone more hurt than he probably intended to show. “Dating you all month, of course.”

Rhys could feel his pulse beating hard in his throat, his stomach full of butterflies. Did he die? Had R&D tricked him into some experiment again and he was hallucinating this whole thing? That Jack was here, giving him gifts and trying to essentially _woo_ him? “...Dating?” he repeated softly.

“Um, _yeah_ ,” Jack replied sarcastically, giving Rhys what was definitely an insecure look. “What do you _think_ I’ve been doing all month?”

Rhys laughed lightheartedly, and Jack visibly soured. The PA couldn’t hold back the smile on his face, genuinely apologetic as it seemed now _Jack_ was getting his signals crossed. “I’m sorry, I’m not laughing at you,” he promised, blinking quickly. “I’m just having a hard time believing this. It’s kind of my… dream come true...” he finished awkwardly.

“What the hell’s so hard to believe?” Jack grumbled sourly, as if Rhys was making some judgment on the way he’d gone about wooing the younger man. Jack watched as Rhys extended his flesh hand, and he uncrossed his arms to put a big hand in Rhys’ own. 

Rhys held the older man’s hand, looking at him with a flattering blush to his cheeks. “Jack… The stuff you bought me was… well, _wow_ , Jack, okay? I _definitely_ cannot afford any one of those things. That was… nice. Still _way_ too much, but…” he trailed off, a thinking sort of smile on his face. “You could have just asked me out, _without_ buying me any of that. I wouldn’t have said no.”

“I was _trying_ not to take advantage of the situation,” Jack stated sourly. “You were mopey as hell before, princess,” he excused, though honestly that hadn’t stopped him from spending time with the younger man and enjoying Rhys’ own special brand of attention. “...being the hero _sucks_ ,” he muttered to himself.

“You _just_ told me ‘happy anniversary’,” Rhys stated with a growing grin, something inside of him wanting so bad what Jack was seeming to offer. The older man just smirked, and Rhys leaned forward, heart beating wildly in his chest to move his hand higher on Jack’s arm. “I don’t need _things_ Jack. Don’t get me wrong, that stuff was all very nice and _well_ beyond my price-range,” Rhys told him with a little smirk that told the CEO he had every intention of keeping everything, “but that’s not-- I don’t need _stuff_. I’ve had a _lot_ of fun this past month. Why do you think I stay late when you do?”

“Because I’m so good-looking,” Jack teased as he bit back a grin, his own sour mood dissipating the longer Rhys kept his hand on his arm. He gave the younger man a grin. “You’re a professional, buttercup.”

“I’m kind of obsessed with you,” Rhys stated with a smirk. 

Jack grinned right back. “You _are_ a creepy little fanboy still. I knew it.”

“Spending more time with you didn’t necessarily _cure_ that, Jack.”

“Creep,” the older man stated with a sly sort of look, leaning forward to come closer into Rhys’ space, advertising his intentions. He looked at the younger man’s lips, and Rhys felt himself flush.

“I’d, uh… I’d like that, though. Spending time with you, I mean,” Rhys told him with an almost-shy look. It was probably the barest he’d laid himself in a long time. Jack just smiled in a sort of honest, subdued way that utterly charmed the PA.

“Oh, I’ll let you spend _all_ the time you want with me, pumpkin-spice,” Jack purred in a way that brought a sort of smug-look to Rhys’ face. Back to appreciating Jack’s innuendo, it seemed.

“I’m not fucking you tonight,” Rhys stated with a smirk, a little surprised that those were words he would actually say to _Handsome Jack_ after all. Jack’s grin told him he found it a novelty as well. “I’m seriously itchy as hell and just-sleeping is going to be uncomfortable enough. Most of the irritation will be better tomorrow, though.”

Jack chose to ignore the reference to his own idiocy, making a mental-note to outright ban the import of the flowers from the Edens to Helios. “Not _tonight_ , huh?”

“You _would_ focus on that word.” Rhys smirked, leaning closer to Jack himself over the table, eyes on the older man’s mouth. He’d fantasized and jerked off over this more time than he could count, and here he was about to live an actual dream. “I _will_ kiss you, though.”

Jack perked up significantly at that. Even if Rhys was mad, he still wanted to kiss him. 

And he’d make those kisses count. 

“How about you let me rub some of that anti-itch stuff anywhere you want, Rhysie? Even the hard to reach places. Get you feeling _real_ good in no time.”

Rhys let Jack pull him a bit towards him by the back of the neck, smiling despite the itch that even now couldn’t be entirely ignored. He smirked as their lips were mere moments away, pausing abruptly and catching Jack’s eye for it. “ _Maybe_ the easy to reach ones, too.” 

Jack chuckled and leaned in, their mouths meeting once and then twice as Jack groaned and stroked his thumb at the nape of Rhys’ neck. Rhys surged forward just a bit, going in for a few more close-fit open-mouthed kisses right there. 

Jack cursed as they broke, eyes dilated heavily and looking at Rhys with almost greedy fondness. 

He gave Jack a smug look. He could understand the look in his eyes very well. “...Is the offer to still stay with you while my apartment gets cleaned up for grabs?”

Jack snorted good-naturedly. He’d let the younger man stay the rest of his _life_ if he would. 

He chased another kiss before answering, and then releasing the back of Rhys’ neck to retake his hand. “Only if you make us breakfast. With sausage meat cut into stars.”

“I _knew_ you’d like that. Stars are way more fun than just sausage-shapes.” Rhys snorted to himself in afterthought, giving Jack a look like he was in on the joke. “You like my sausage.”

“Creepy little fanboy,” Jack teased, but returned the squeeze Rhys gave his hand, and smirked at the pleased, soft little laugh the younger man made. As if they were both enjoying some private joke at each other’s expense, but that in turn made them both members of the same club. ‘Creepy fanboy’... Jack was one to talk, considering how badly he wanted the younger man in a greater part of his life and the lengths he was willing to go to get it.

They managed to overrule giddy impatience and ease into a decadent dinner, indeed eager to be alone and _talk_ at length, but enjoying a meal together under new understanding. 

And Jack _did_ want to talk. About what it was Rhys wanted, if it wasn’t things that could be bought. Talk about reaching a one-year anniversary. And then a ten. About how he wanted however many years’ worth of star-shaped sausage meat in his life to match the amount of stars in the galaxy.

Maybe even talk _without_ words to some minor or major degree, if Jack could get some industrial anti-itch cream for Rhys brought up to his penthouse.

The day had been full of special deliveries and surprises, what was waiting for one more, anyways?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When Jack falls, he falls _hard_. Hehehe awwww they're gonna be so happy and in love <3
> 
> I don't have the time to get back to all comments (im working on it, but im currently at over 100 unread messages and i've been super depressed and its been difficult to function) but I 100% read and love and appreciate any and all comments I get <3
> 
> [my tumblr](http://purge-that-urge-rhackathon.tumblr.com/) | [my fic masterlist archive](http://purge-that-urge-rhackathon.tumblr.com/post/134979026515/a-ao3-fic-archive) | [my twitter](https://twitter.com/PurgeThatUrge)
> 
> Please leave kudos and a comment if you enjoyed! ao3 FAQ: [Can I post comments anonymously, or if I don't have an Archive account? ](https://archiveofourown.org/faq/comments-and-kudos?language_id=en#anoncomment)


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